Winding machine for brass bobbins



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor BVMW May l, 1956 R. s. NEEDHAM WINDING MACHINE FOR BRASS BOBBINS Filed Nov.

May 1, 1956 R. s. NEEDHAM WINDING MACHINE FOR BRASS BoBBINs I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 19, 1952 May l, 1956 R. s. NEEDHAM wINDING MACHINE Foa BRASS BoBBINs 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 19, 1952 I I I I I l I I I I I I E .il

f I n venlor United States Patent h-ist invention e -relate to K:winding Y' machines I'for brass bobbinssuch: asareuse'dtinthefmaking of plain netA or lace. 'llfh'e.-termabrass bobbinsfis atradelterm for atype of bnbbincommonly. used'f-in plain-netA and lacemaking machines,` Iii-:does not mean: `that the'bobbin isnecessarily made o f brass,.- although -this-= i's usuallythe case. The bobbins usually consist of two circular plates or discs each having therhaldr-ofi at centrali boss'orrits inner face, and theysare secured together lby 'riveting or otherwise so that theref-'is-a-xcleanance forffgrooveusually not more thany tinn of fthe@bobbinstohwindfonthenecessary! lengthof thread, which is determined by means of a suitable automatic measuring device. i Itydeesnoteect the change overA from the fullbobbinsto fresh?o`nes,anor-doesy itcut oiithe-tlztreadsi The. object-,of thisiinvention-i's therefore to provide' a fullyautomatic winding machine-forI brass bobbins-ain which; the winding, changeover-and# thread-cutting willl all be accomplished by the machine itself.

According to the present invention a carrier for a number ofIbebbin-spindlesor 'setsof-bdbbins is operated in a succession of"intermittentmovements of limited extent .byrcontrol mechanism whose actuation is, derived from' the automatic measuring device, l the movementof thetcarrierserving to take one'spindleor set of bobbins outofthe winding position and feedtthe threadsE onto thebobbins VQf'a fresh 'spindle or set, which is brought by themovement of 'the carrier into thegwinding pQsition.`

The movements of Vthe carrier are preferably rotary movements, althoughfit is possiblefthata vforwardly travellingfcanrienfeould be devised. i

The control mechanism is also preferably arranged to operate mechanism for cutting oif the threads from the fully wound bobbins. i

The action of the control mechanism preferably consists in operating a clutch mechanism to disconnect the drive from the bobbin spindle which has been wound, then to advance the carrier to take the wound bobbins out of the winding position, and to bring another spindle of empty bobbins into the winding position as the movement of the carrier is completed, and finally to re-engage the clutch mechanism and take up the drive to the fresh spindle of bobbins.

The actual means employed to initiate the intermittent movements of the control mechanism may vary according to what is most convenient. For instance if an electrical measuring device is used (and such devices are well known in themselves) it will be convenient to initiate the control mechanism by electrical means, for example the measuring device may be arranged at the conclusion of each winding operation to complete a solenoid circuit,

2l the movementof the solenoidjplunger being arranged to disconnectv the drive from, the 'Windingfmeansland vbringg into operation the drive byjwhich the' carrier'wlieel" moved. y f ,i It` isconvenientto provide cam'means on tlie'':.arjr-i,e`if: itself-to startup the, windingymechanis'm `as'"`ea'cl1"l'ioliliii,4

spindle comes into` the drivingjtposition andi'tri'discrinect.'Il

the drive tothe carrier.

In the winding position the threads 'maytbe" held `A`in` alignmentY With their jrespective bobbins byi'mefans' ofi a suitable reed'or guide member.v The.assembly;may,'aon-"V sist of a seriesof plateslwithj narrow clearances' bt-,tvveenD them; corresponding to the gauge'of the bobbinf'O'iif reed can be readily interchanged for' another'to suitgdif" ferent gauges of bobbin. Any -s'uitablestandard'thiead guides'm'ay lead the threads kinto the clearances in 'the' reed.y As the winding operationis completed"andithev carrier moves on,l the action of the reed'in' coniunction@ with the changing position of the bobbins feeds therthreadsfl into the next set of bobbins as it moves into the .windingf position* It is at this'stage that the cutting mechanism' is actuated." and'this may comprisea cutter'bladewhichfi's "actuatedA to bearV on the threadsy -andsever them vat a Vpoint between the fully wound bobbins off` vvhichftheyf` come andthe" A constructional form of'the"i'nvention"will"now be described with reference tothe accompanyr drawings,YA inI which:

Figure 1 is a sidef elevation;

Figure 2 is an endview; partly in section."

Figure 3 is an electrical circuitdiagram.' n Fig. `4 isa fragmental view-, partly"incross-sectiongo the re-set device'for the electrical measuring unit.; l

The machine comprises Ia frame 10`in whichjfan electric., motorv 11 isy mounted".y vThe motor II'drives areduction gearbox- 112".l The output -spindle 13ofthe 'gearbox '12" drives-a pulley 1,4 connected `by:a belt"15"witli'a 'pullyf 16' on-"a wormshaft 1'7`on whichVV a Wormflfifs fitted.T The `worm 1S drives a worm; wheel fm'onte'donfa countershaft 20.; 4 'z n The countershaft 20Av drives afGeneva'm'echanism 21'; which imparts an intermittentrotary movement `(`in lthe, example shown 45) to a shaft'l24 onwhich a b'o'l'a'bin-` spindle carrier 25- is mounted'.n Y The carrier 25 is arranged/ arr `inclined chutefSil' and] their-loading K into :the 'carrier is controlled by a rotaryv starirnemberlhavingfpeaks' 32 extending along it. This member isoperatedgbyLgear wheels 331, 3'4"operatcd by a-sprocketSbSj'chainl 36 and further sprockets 37 in synchrony with the rotary movements of the carrier. Each time the carrier advances the loading device 31 is rotated to deliver another bobbin spindle into openings in the end bearings or housings 39 which support it in the carrier.

After having been loaded into the carrier each spindle of bobbins advances in a succession of part rotary movements in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure l until it is nearly in the top dead centre. At this point the bobbins receive threads which pass through reeds 40, 41 to align each thread with a bobbin. vOne form of reed consists of an assembly of plates with narrow clearances between them corresponding to the gauge of the bobbins but various types of reed device are known in the art for thread alignment and this invention is not confined to any particular type. The threads are indicated at 42. Thus threaded the bobbins arrive in the Winding position at top dead centre. The winding operation is ef- 2,743,876 'Patentes May 1;. lisse' fected by rotating the bobbin spindle while in the top dead centre position by motor 45. This is effected by an electricmotor 45 operating a magnetic clutch 46, 47. The control of this winding movement is derived from a conventional type of electric measuring device 48 which can be set to`operateat any predetermined length of thread. This is wired through a solenoid type of switch 49 so that after the predetermined length of thread has been wound on to the bobbins the measuring device contacts 48a close, and act to operate the solenoid switch 49 which breaks the circuit controlling the supply of current to the motor 45. The motor 45 thereupon stops and the magnetic clutch 46, 47 is de-energised, so that winding ceases. Simultaneously the solenoid switch 49 acts to close the circuit controlling the current supply to the motor 11, which thereupon operates the Geneva mechanism andthe wound spindle of bobbins is carried forward out of the top dead centre position. The electrical measuring device has a pivotal trigger 51. When the carrier has made its predetermined amount of rotary movement one of a series of cams 52 on the carrier (there being one such cam for each bobbin-spindle) is arranged to trip a mechanical re-set device in the form of a pivoted lever 53 which is connected by a exible cable with the trigger 51. The trigger is thereby operated, and acts to re-set the electrical measuring 48. When this is thus re-set it automatically re-opens the contacts 48a, which is an ordinary micro-switch type device of standard pattern and is operated in the ordinary conventional way when the rotary element in the measuring device attains the actuating position. There is no connection between the trigger 51 and the contacts 489; the trigger merely acts to re-set the measuring device 48, and the measuring device itself re-opens the contacts 48a as is customary in such measuring devices, thereby stopping the motor 11 and re-starting the motor 45, while at the same time resetting the measuring device at zero.

As a wound spindle of bobbins is carried forward out of the top dead centre position a cam 55 on the countershaft 20 actuates a weighted rod 56 which is pivotally connected at 57 with a rocking lever 58 pivoted on the frame at 59 and connected to a cutting-ott knife 60, so that each time a spindle of bobbins fully wound leaves the winding position the cam 55 operates the knife to cut oi the threads after these have been threaded into the next spindle of bobbins.

Each spindle of wound bobbins after the threads have been cut off in this way arrives at the unloading position where an inclined chute 62 projects into the path of the bobbins and extends under them but is clear of the end bearings or housings in which the bobbin spindle rests. Therefore on the next succeeding movement of the carrier the chute 62 will retain the spindle of bobbins as the bearings or housings are moved onwards by the carrier in readiness for loading, while the spindle of wound bobbins rolls down the chute 62.

I claim:

1. A brass bobbin winding machine comprising a carrier mounted for rotary movement, drive means to rotate the carrier, a number of bobbin spindles removably supported by the carrier parallel to its axis of rotation, a number of bobbins supported side by side on each of the spindles, means feeding a corresponding number of threads one into each bobbin on one of the spindles, means acting thereafter to rotate such spindle about its own axis, means operatively connected intermediate the drive means and the carrier to impart intermittent movement to the carrier, means measuring the length of thread wound onto the bobbins eiective to stop operation of the furtherA means rotating the spindle after the requisite length of thread has been wound thereon, and means connecting the measuring means with the drive means to initiate the intermittent movement of the carrier when such spindle rotation is stopped.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the measuring device is arranged when the desired length of threads has been wound on to the bobbins to complete a solenoid circuit, said solenoid being associated with means by which the bobbin spindle has been rotated and drive means by which the carrier is moved, so that at the conclusion of each winding operation the drive to the bobbin spindle is disconnected and the drive to the carrier brought into operation.

3. A machine according to claim 2 having cam means on the carrier, said cam means being adapted to start up the drive to the bobbin spindle whose bobbins are about to be wound and to disconnect the drive to the carrier.

4. A machine according to claim 1 in which a cuttingoi blade is provided, means being provided to actuate said cutting-ott blade to bear on the threads and sever them where they come from the fully-wound bobbins.

5. A machine according to claim 4in which the cutting blade is actuated in synchrony with the movement of the carrier.

6. A machine according to claim 1 in which the electrical measuring device is provided with a mechanical re-setting device which is tripped by a cam on the carrier, said re-setting device serving not only to re-set the measuring device at zero but also at the same time to re-start the drive to the bobbin spindle whose bobbins are about to be wound.

References Cited n the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 456,671 Keats July 28, 1891 1,040,188 Gray Oct. 1, 1912 1,970,188 Reiners Aug. 14, 1934 2,163,578 Baker June 27, 1939 2,243,101 Kinsella May 27, 1941 2,460,723 Weesner Feb. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 72,808 Switzerland July 1, 1916 

